Defining appropriate technology (at) is difficult; it means many things to many people, and what may be understood as appropriate to one community may not be consistent with another. In broad terms, the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) describes AT as a technology that is simple to apply, is not capital- or energyintensive, uses local resources and labor, and protects environmental resources and human health. Practical Action, a nongovernmental organization (NGO), suggests that AT takes advantage of local resources, uses and employs recyclable materials, is affordable, and generates local employment in its application.

AT emerged as a movement during the 1960s in the context of economic theory that argued that Western models of development were unsustainable, environmentally degrading and would not provide benefit to ...

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